Lightning off-grid charging Solar Array Build w/Agrivoltaics

[MurphysLaww]

As one might expect, days are getting longer, and we broke another PV input record. I wasn't sure in the winter we'd get to 15kW, which portends to good output this summer.

Working on the PA Hall sensor actuators

Have one moving as I would like with the motor drivers I've been using, and added a voltage monitor. Next working on syncing 3-5 of them. Wasn't sure I'd be able to use my dual h-bridge controller, but it looks like two of them might work.

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[Avocadodude]

As one might expect, days are getting longer, and we broke another PV input record. I wasn't sure in the winter we'd get to 15kW, which portends to good output this summer.

I had to read this a couple of times . You produced 15kWh, I was like what kind of panels do you have producing 15kW and got massive panel envy. All of your info is awesome BTW. I'll try to get my system posted soon, but way more basic that what you're doing..

 

[MurphysLaww]

I had to read this a couple of times . You produced 15kWh, I was like what kind of panels do you have producing 15kW and got massive panel envy. All of your info is awesome BTW. I'll try to get my system posted soon, but way more basic that what you're doing..

Thanks, one of the things I'm doing is just checking to see if this is a viable way to do this.

I'm using the house as a control, which doesn't have tracking. While the tracking does provide more output, I'm not sure I'm going to get to the 25% additional I'd like to. We'll be deepening the angle of the panels from 15 degrees to as close as we can get to 25 degrees this weekend by moving to the 24" Progressive Automations actuators from the ecoworthy 18".

The charging system is 3600 watt, and the house 5400, or it's 66% of the house. So far, we haven't even produced 66% of the house output yet. If that is the panels being used, or the inherent increased loss of a dc inverter system vs. the house micro-inverters it will remain to be seen, but it may never be a perfect test environment due to the shadowing the powerlines above produce. I lose, I think 1-1.5kw a day due to this. There probably isn't a good way to configure the panels (series to parallel) to fix much, if any of that.

 

[MurphysLaww]

Big workday. Probably the last for awhile. Looks like lot's o' rain and clouds for the next 8 days at least.

Got the Progressive Automations hall sensor linear actuators installed. I added another motor driver to the control box, and rewired the actuators with 16 gauge wiring, home runs to each actuator. When I tested the first one, it really didn't pull more amps than the ecoworthy, though. The main, noticeable difference is that these are nearly, entirely, silent. It's weird. You can really hear the ecoworthys when they are moving.

This, so far, with no tweaking, has resulted in an increase from 13.8 degrees early morning tilt, to 17.5 degrees, and from 15 degrees evening tilt max, to 23 degrees. We'll play with that, but I'll bet we'll see some increases in output, especially in the evening.

And the code adjustments( I know, ugly code with no comments...) and control box modifications. Still have to stack one more motor controller. These have two 8 amp outputs, so I need one more output for the 5 actuators.

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[MurphysLaww]

With the new actuators and angle, looks like another new record for generation. We’re at 15.1kW at 4pm, and the previous was 15.2. We even had 20 mins of no production while the truck was at the farm, and the batts filled up around 1:30pm.

***edit - finished the day with 16.3 kW, even with the loss of, likely, 0.5 - 0.75 kW when the batts filled. 17 kW in winter sun is a good sign for, hopefully, 20kw or more in March.

won’t hit quite 200kW pit in the truck for the month, but the truck was at the dealer for the first week, so I’d bet we might make 300 by next month, and goal of 400kw in March.

Finished the introductory video for the channel. I’ll break each part of the install down into individual vids.

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[MurphysLaww]

Cool sunny days, and we broke an output record by quite a bit yesterday. We produced 19.5 kW, and put 55 miles back into the Lightning, at least according to FordPass. We hit 18.4 kW today as well.

I pulled two of the five, Progressive Automations linear actuators off the array, to work on testing the coding for the synchronization of the five actuators. Interestingly, the five of them are not as uniform in motor output as the cheapo ecoworthy, so, I'll definitely have to sync them for sure.

I, unfortunately, had a small accident with the SolarAssistant Raspberry pi, that pulled the microUSB connection port entirely off of the EG4 control unit board. It would be really fine soldering to fix, and I don't really have the equipment to do so. I have a new RS232 to USB cable coming from SolarAssistant, which hopefully will work as well as the direct to USB did.

Non-Lightning or EV content, but I'm getting closer to finishing our 2012 Audi TDi overland project as well.

Test fit for it's Wilco Offroad, swing out tire carrier on the Lightning, though...

 

[MurphysLaww]

Making a tons of progress with raised beds installed, control box coding just about complete, and new records for output:

Crossed a signficant milestone of 20kw of output in a day on march 11th, and have been getting consistently high output and input:

Control box now with an Arduino Giga R1 Wifi, and Giga Display in a case I found on Ebay:

Beginning of the bed planting fenced off from our Curious mutts:

 

[PreservedSwine]

Love the progress- your system is something to be proud of!

 

[MurphysLaww]

Love the progress- your system is something to be proud of!

Thanks!

It's been fun, and fun that will pay for itself and provide backup power for the house!

The better I fine tune it, the quicker the payoff.

While I've been working on the coding to sync the actuators, I pulled two of the five actuators and I've been moving the panels manually throughout the day, so once they are back to automated function, the output should be even higher.

One of my least favorite parts of the project, making molex connectors...

And the next project... Making at least some of this mobile with 30-40 flexible 100watt panels, and 10kw of batts, and a quick-disconnect system for the Hybrid inverter, or another one, to move to this trailer, which will be lifted a bit, and have a no-weld kit to build the frame up for Electric overlanding adventures:

https://compactcampingstore.com/collections/trailer-rack-kits

(need to finish the Audi Q7 overland conversion in the background first, though)

 

[MacLightning]

Really enjoying this thread, your YouTube channel, and all your cool projects!
Thanks for all the excellent details on your work!

 

[MurphysLaww]

Getting pretty close to complete. Implementing some gutters to feed the rainbarrel in the foreground, moving the 100watt panel that powers the control box over to this side, and then getting the automated microcontroller controlled watering going, and then it's just waiting for harvesting!

Producing more than expected. Hitting 3kW peak during the days now, and went over 300kW for the month with only sporadic use at times and lost the 100kW we put in with the chargepoint quick charger:

 

[MurphysLaww]

And broke a daily production record by over 10% yesterday...

That's the benefit of the automatic tracking which is just back up and operational.

Soon, we should have 20kW of batteries to max out.

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